In the existing art, when a user signs up for communication service, the service provider will typically present the user with a palette of service plans from which to chose, where each service plan is keyed to a quantity of communication service. By way of example, when a user signs up for basic cellular telephone service, the wireless carrier will typically offer the user a number of service plans, each allowing the user to engage in a certain number of minutes (or an unlimited number of minutes) of voice calls per month for designated fee. As another example, when a user signs up for data communication service, the service provider may offer the user a number of service plans, each allowing the user to engage in a certain number of minutes (or an unlimited number of minutes) of data communication per month for a designated fee or to communicate a certain quantity of data (or an unlimited quantity of data), such as a certain number of messages, packets, or bytes, per month for a″designated fee.
With the widespread popularity of digital photography, it is also separately known today for users to capture digital images, and to provide those images to photo processing labs for printing. Using a camera phone or other wirelessly-equipped digital camera, for instance, a user can capture an image and then readily transmit the resulting image file over a network to a photo processing lab. Alternatively, the user can bring the camera or a memory card containing the image file to a photo processing lab (e.g., a photo counter at a store, or a print-kiosk) and can convey the image file to the photo processing lab. After receipt of the image file, the photo processing lab (or an associated entity) can then print the image and deliver the printed copy to the user or to another designated party.